


Day Off

by karuvapatta



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Daddy Issues, Dysfunctional Family, GabeNath if you squint, Gen, Light Angst, Mommy Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 18:11:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17513447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karuvapatta/pseuds/karuvapatta
Summary: Adrien is bored. Nathalie attempts to have a day off.





	Day Off

Today was the middle of the holiday, which meant that by noon, Adrien was bored out of his skull.

It had never been such a problem before. _Never_. Holiday or not, his days had been pretty much the same. But now he couldn’t go to school, Nino went for a trip with his family, and nothing whatsoever was happening in Paris that would require Chat Noir’s attention. His eyes hurt from playing video games for hours, Plagg was getting on his nerves, _everyone_ was getting on his nerves. To top it off, Nathalie took a vacation day, so he couldn’t even have a riveting discussion about his schedule to break up the monotony.

And Father. Father was busy. Naturally.

Adrien tossed away his controller and watched, dispassionate, as his character was mercilessly hacked to bits by the alien battle robots.

_No, you cannot go out,_ Father had said this morning. _You have nothing scheduled, and your bodyguard is on leave. Practice piano and then get on with the supplementary reading materials._

The words “game over” flashed on the screen, accompanied by artistic blood splatter. Adrien turned off the TV and flung himself on the couch.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Plagg said. “We should go out!”

“I can’t,” Adrien said.

“Sure you can. Your dad’s in your office, Nathalie and the Gorilla aren’t here, so there won’t be anyone to tattle on you…”

“What if Father goes looking for me?” Adrien said to himself. Then he laughed, bitterly, and got up from the couch. “Right. Right. Let’s go.”

Sneaking out of the house wasn’t that difficult, but he was still anxious up until he rounded the corner, losing sight of their mansion. Once there, he breathed a little easier.

The day was gorgeous. The sun shone high in the sky, faint breeze chased away the heat, and the streets were packed with people. Some of them came dangerously close to recognizing him, so on a whim, Adrien purchased a cardboard Ladybug mask from a street vendor and a matching non-magical yo-yo, much to Plagg’s disapproving groan.

“What? It’s fun,” Adrien said.

Together, they wandered the streets of Paris. He had no end goal in mind so he just let his legs carry him wherever, snapping a picture here and there.

It was only when he got to the park that Adrien realized he might be in trouble after all.

“What—”

He blinked once or twice, trying to wrap his mind around the scene.

Nathalie. On a park bench. In jeans and a pastel-coloured flowery blouse. With a child on her lap. Not wearing a suit or holding a tablet, and actually _smiling,_ with her _mouth_ , down at the toddler who was pointing at something in a picture book.

“Oh no,” Adrien said. “Plagg, I am _done for_.”

This bizarre Black Mirror-esque version of Nathalie was still _Nathalie_. Who knew Adrien was grounded, and would turn him in to Father, and then Father _would_ install bars in his windows, or more security cameras, damning not only Adrien but Chat Noir as well. Honestly, the safety of Paris, and his beloved Ladybug, depended entirely on Adrien sneaking out of the park without her noticing.

“Ooooh, I like your mask!” two children skidded to a stop before him.

“Where did you get it?”

“Can we get one, too?”

“You have a yo-yo! I want a yo-yo! Where can we get a yo-yo?”

“You had a yo-yo and then you broke it.”

“Did not!”

“Ah-ha. You broke it.”

“Louis! Lise! What did we say about bothering strangers?”

The voice was chillingly familiar. Adrien backed away a step, but it was too late.

“…Adrien?”

“Uh,” he said. “Hi, Nathalie.”

“Oooooh, you know Nathalie?” the little boy, quite possibly named Louis, asked.

“Hey, Nathalie, can I get a yo-yo?” Lise said at the same time.

“You had one,” Nathalie said, still staring at Adrien. She held the toddler perched on her hip, and looked oddly, unsettlingly _normal_.

“Yo-yos are stupid,” Lise declared. “Oh, look – balloons!”

“I want a balloon!” Louis added, and the kids took off in the direction of the balloon seller.

Adrien tried not to fidget under Nathalie’s cool gaze.

“I would ask if your father knows you’re out,” Nathalie said eventually. “But I’m afraid I won’t like the answer.”

“He, uh—” Adrien’s voice faltered. “Please don’t tell him?”

This was stupid. He had been stupid. His mask was stupid, and possibly part of the reason why Nathalie was staring at him so strangely.

“It is my day off,” she sighed. “Adrien. You can’t just run away like this. If your father discovers that you’re gone, he will be terrified.”

“Only if he comes looking for me,” Adrien kicked a pebble on the dusty path. “Like _that_ ’s going to happen anytime soon.”

She said nothing. The child in her arm stared at Adrien with wide brown eyes, and then tugged at Nathalie’s dress, trying to get her attention. It got it, too – Nathalie murmured something comforting and kissed its forehead. A rare sight, seeing her so affectionate. Then again, she must have had a life apart from being Father’s assistant, even if it didn’t really seem that way.

“Are these your kids?” Adrien blurted out.

He could feel his cheeks flaming when Nathalie gave him a sharp look.

“No,” she said. “They are my sister’s. Their usual babysitter was unavailable, so I took a day off to watch over them.” After a moment, she added: “I don’t have children.”

“Ah. I see.”

Adrien waved at the toddler. Hesitant, the child waved back, and then immediately buried her face in Nathalie’s shoulder, taking a peek at Adrien from behind her pigtails.

“Hi, I’m Adrien. What’s your name?”

Silence. Nathalie’s lips twitched. Then the girl mumbled something, too quiet for Adrien to hear, and wrapped her arms around Nathalie’s neck, ending the conversation then and there.

“Her name is Claudette and she is quite shy,” Nathalie said. “The same can’t be said for the twins, unfortunately.”

“No, they seem great,” Adrien said, mostly because they came back with a Chat Noir-shaped balloon. They started fighting over the balloon almost immediately, and then negotiated a hasty peace treaty when another small child exclaimed that he had a better balloon, in fact, the best of all the balloons.

About ten minutes later, the twins and the kid were the best of friends, and the forgotten Chat Noir balloon had been entrusted to Adrien.

“I suppose I’m easier to handle,” he said drily, tugging at the balloon string. He admired the craftsmanship, but the _real_ Chat Noir wasn’t quite that—round.

“Yes, it’s remarkably hard to get them to follow even the simplest schedule,” Nathalie said, in a tone of voice that suggested she was joking. But it was hard to tell, with Nathalie. “Hopefully they will tire themselves out—I mean—”

Another long, awkward pause. Nathalie set down Claudette and kept a careful grip on the girl’s small hand as she toddled along the path, towards the bench they had been sitting on previously and the stroller that was still there.

“Listen,” Nathalie said. “I won’t tell your father you went out, but only if you promise to go straight back home. Is this okay?”

Home. Adrien shuddered.

“I don’t want to,” he mumbled. “It’s so—empty. And I’m bored. Can’t you just forget you saw me?”

Nathalie was staring at him with a blank expression. She had that down to a fine art.

“I can’t go against your father’s wishes,” she said. “He’s my boss.”

“So what? It’s your day off, you said so yourself.”

It was a lost cause. Nathalie would never side with him. And, yes, to be fair disobeying Father could cost her the job, but Adrien didn’t feel like being _fair_. Not to her, and not to Father.

“Whatever,” he said. “Call him, if you want. I’m going for a walk.”

He stormed down the path. Somewhere along the way, the day lost its charm. The sky was still blue and the birds sang as usual, but Adrien barely noticed that anymore.

“Adrien! Wait!”

They had trouble keeping up. Nathalie couldn’t walk very fast while pushing Claudette’s stroller, and the twins hopped around her, laughing and pointing at things and paying very little attention to where they were going. But, slowly but surely, the small group was heading in his direction.

“What is it?” Adrien didn’t even care how rude he was being.

“I would feel better about the whole situation if I could keep an eye on you,” Nathalie said. “We’re going to the zoo. Would you like to come with us?”

“Sure, if that would make your _job_ easier,” Adrien said coldly.

He followed along in sullen silence. Nathalie walked at a brisk pace, avoiding his gaze the entire time.

“Hey,” Louis tugged at his sleeve. “Hey, mister Adrien sir, can we have the balloon back?”

Adrien blinked down at the boy. Now that he knew of the kinship, he could see some resemblance between the twins and Nathalie. They were all pale, black-haired and blue-eyed. Claudette, with her darker complexion and brown eyes, made him curious, but he was not rude enough to voice that particular question.

“Yeah, sure,” Adrien handed over the balloon.

“Hey, give it back!” Lise called to her brother, who was running full speed down the street with his prize.

“Louis! Come back here this instant!” Nathalie went a shade paler. “No—Adrien, could you--?”

She pushed the stroller towards him, her eyes scanning the crowd for Louis’s tiny figure. Then her attention snapped upwards to the Chat Noir balloon, and she hurried to where the string was pointing.

Moments later, she emerged with Louis’s hand firmly in her own, lecturing him in a slightly frantic tone of voice.

“What did Mum say? You are _not_ to let go of me when we are walking down the street! Look at Lise, she’s—” she paused, eyes widening in terror.

Looking slightly guilty, Lise unglued herself from the shopfront and came sauntering back.

“I’m here, Auntie!”

At that moment, Claudette started crying. Nathalie appeared as if she was about to, but the moment passed quickly. It made sense that she never got akumatized; nothing rattled that woman for very long.

“Come on, all of you,” she said in her stern no-nonsense tone of voice. “We are almost there.”

Claudette calmed down a little when Nathalie entered her field of vision and distracted her with a plushie. The twins protested when Nathalie took them by the hands, but stopped when they realized she wouldn’t be dissuaded. That left Adrien to push Claudette’s stroller, which he was surprised to find he didn’t mind in the least. Besides, it wasn’t as if he could argue with Nathalie right now.

The zoo wasn’t far. Chat Noir had plenty of time to familiarize himself with the topography of Paris, although it was from the rooftops rather than street level. Either way, it’s been ages since he visited it – he went as a child, years ago, with Mother and Father, back when their family was still happy.

He faltered, dragging his feet. The place was crowded, mostly with families. And here was he, Adrien Agreste, with his Ladybug mask and his father’s assistant’s niece in a stroller.

“Look! A giraffe!”

Louis was tugging at his shirt. Claudette pointed too, babbling “Giraffe! Giraffe!”. Lise had wandered off somewhere in the meantime. Honestly, it was impossible to keep track of the twins when they ran around like this, from animal to animal, asking dozens of questions per minute that Nathalie answered patiently.

“Is there anywhere in particular you wanted to go today?” Nathalie asked when the twins were enamoured with a flock of flamingos and gave her a moment to catch her breath.

“Not really,” Adrien said. “I just wanted to go for a walk.”

Nathalie sighed. “If only you had asked Mr. Agreste—”

“Without you or my bodyguard? No chance he’d let me.”

“Adrien—”

Claudette wanted out. She stretched out her chubby little arms until Nathalie relented and took her out of the stroller, but the girl clung to her neck and refused to be let go.

“I suppose the day is too nice to stay locked up in your room,” Nathalie said.

“Most days are nice lately, up until someone gets akumatized,” Adrien said glumly.

“He had better not do anything today, I haven’t had a day off in ages,” Nathalie said. Then she paused, abruptly, her smile a little forced.

“Take it up with Hawk Moth,” Adrien said. “Maybe you can get him to stick to a schedule or something.”

It would make things easier on the Parisians, but quite possibly harder on Adrien. Regular absences would not go unnoticed for long.

“If only,” Nathalie said, with a curious look in her eyes that Adrien couldn’t attempt to decipher. Then it, too, was gone.

Lise was back, dragging them towards the aquatic section while Louis shouted that he wanted to see the tigers. Somehow, Nathalie managed to placate them both, even if she had to resort to bribes and blackmail to keep the three kids obedient and happy.

“I have no idea how my sister handles it,” she admitted afterwards, looking slightly dazed.

But she was content, as far as Adrien could tell. He, too, realized that his afternoon wasn’t as bad as he thought it might end up being.

Nathalie’s sister and brother-in-law finished work and, at half past five, met them by the zoo’s exit. No matter the superficial resemblance, Adrien never would have guessed this woman could be related to Nathalie: her smile was much too bright, and she was animated and expressive.

“No, absolutely, you must go and have dinner with us! When was the last time you visited?”

Guilt was a rare expression on Nathalie’s face. “You are very kind, but I have to take Adrien home,” she said.

“But Adrien can go have pizza with us, can’t he?” Lise said.

“ _Does_ Adrien like pizza?”

“I don’t know, ma’am,” Adrien said. “I never had it.”

That caused quite an uproar. Nathalie tried to explain about Mr. Agreste’s preference for a balanced diet but was thoroughly ignored.

And, somehow, Adrien ended up in a cramped Italian restaurant with virtual strangers at the table and a plateful of greasy triangles in various flavours. He dismissed the Quatro Formaggi instantly, even though he felt Plagg shake with indignation in his pocket.

He had never had dinner this _loud_. No one was shouting, not exactly, but a lot of people spoke up at an above-average volume. Even Nathalie had to raise her voice to trade wry comments with her sister, and then she was _laughing_ , which Adrien saw her do maybe never in his life. And the adults had to put down their food almost constantly to help out the kids, or chew very quickly to keep the conversation going. It was a surreal experience, but one that he was beginning to realize he enjoyed.

And that’s when his phone rang.

Nathalie tensed. It was Father, naturally. Adrien picked up, heart in his throat.

“Um—”

“Adrien! Where _are_ you?”  

“Hello, Father,” he said. “I’m fine, I’m fine! Uh—I’m on my way home. With Nathalie.”

The woman went a shade paler. On the other side of the line, Father’s voice lost its fearful urgency.

“I see,” he said, calm and collected. “Let me speak to her, please.”

Taking the phone, Nathalie assumed her professional mask with such abruptness that Adrien blinked. She hardly looked like the same person. Hardly sounded like it, too.

“Good afternoon, sir,” she said. “Yes, Adrien is perfectly safe, I assure you. He had to return a book to one of his classmates. We didn’t want to bother you about it.” She listened intently. “I understand, sir. I’ll bring him home right away.”

Her sister and brother-in-law shared a meaningful, unhappy look. Nathalie’s expression remained stoic as she stared them down. This was clearly a long, drawn-out argument between the three of them, but no part of it was meant for Adrien’s ears.

“I’m very sorry,” Nathalie said. “We have to go.”

Adrien set down his slice of pepperoni and wiped the grease from his fingers.

“Thank you,” he said politely. “Sir, ma’am. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

He didn’t like the looks they were giving him – almost pitying. How much did Nathalie tell them, exactly? She was too professional to gossip, else Father would have fired her a long time ago. But this _was_ her family, and although they not-so-subtly complained that Nathalie rarely saw them anymore, it was obvious they were close.

“Bye, Adrien!” the twins waved at him with their cheese-covered hands. Even Claudette smiled, much happier now that she was sitting comfortably in her dad’s lap.

Nathalie said her own goodbyes and, once they were out on the street, called them an Uber. Her expression didn’t shift a fraction. Adrien didn’t know how to feel about that.

“Erm,” he said. “I’m sorry I ruined your day off.”

“It’s fine, Adrien,” she said, barely looking up at him from the screen.

Ah. Yes, this was the Nathalie he knew.

“Are you going to get in trouble for this?”

That did get Nathalie’s attention, if only for a minute.

“Your father isn’t going to fire me, if that’s what you’re asking.”

A car pulled up. Nathalie checked the number plate and then opened the door for Adrien.

They drove in silence all the way to the mansion. He expected her to drop him off and leave, but instead she exited the car and followed along, ever serious about her job. Or maybe not. Maybe there was more to it. Or maybe – and Adrien kicked a pebble in frustration – maybe he was reading too much into the situation.

“Adrien,” Father was standing on top of the grand staircase, frowning down at them both. “What’s that ridiculous thing on your face?”

“What—oh, right.” Adrien pulled off his Ladybug mask. “My disguise.”

“Why on earth would you need a disguise?” Father asked. “And why did you disturb Nathalie on her vacation over something as trivial as a book?”

“I don’t mind, sir,” Nathalie said.

She looked out of place in her civilian wear. Father must have thought so too, if his lengthy, assessing stare was anything to go by.

“Nevertheless, you shouldn’t have allowed Adrien to leave the premises without my express permission,” he said eventually. “I’m very disappointed. In the both of you.”

The pause was long enough for his words to sink in. Adrien stared at the floor while Nathalie’s fingers curled to the point of turning her knuckles white.

“Nathalie, I will see you tomorrow morning,” Father said. The dismissive tone couldn’t have been any more obvious.

“Of course, sir,” Nathalie said. “Good night, Adrien.”

She rarely said anything, but the house was still much quieter without her there. Adrien shuffled his feet when climbing the stairs, and came face to face with Father.

“Um, how was work?” he asked.

“Abysmal,” Father said. “As it turns out, it’s impossible to get anything done without Nathalie there to screen my calls.”

It almost sounded like a compliment, which is why Adrien was sure Father would never tell it to Nathalie directly.

“Adrien,” Father said seriously, placing one hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “You can’t do this to me. You _cannot_ disappear like this.”

_I’ve been gone for several hours before you noticed,_ Adrien almost said. Something stopped him though – perhaps the trace of worry in Father’s expression, or the almost desperate way he was clutching Adrien’s shoulder. “Sorry, Dad. But why were you looking for me?”

Father hesitated.

“I thought, perhaps – it’s been a while since I heard you play the piano.”

Ah, so that’s what it was about. Checking on his progress. Which sucked, because with Chat Noir in the picture Adrien didn’t get to practice as much as he used to. Father would undoubtedly hear the imperfections – it was all he ever heard – and then, what, have Nathalie squeeze in more hours into Adrien’s schedule? Was that even possible?

Frustrated, Adrien attacked Chopin’s _Nocturne_ with more vitriol than it deserved. His fingers fumbled on the keyboard, Father’s frown deepening with each botched note. He would be mad for sure.

Adrien paused, bracing himself for the criticism. He was prepared for it. What he wasn’t prepared for was Father standing up, making his way over, and taking a seat next to Adrien.

Next piece was a duet. It wasn’t perfect but, perhaps, one day it could be.


End file.
